New bid for Co-op store in Blackpool

Developers Melrose wants to bring a Co-op store to land on North Drive where the Anchorsholme Methodist Church stood until it was demolished.

A previous scheme was withdrawn by the developer last November after it attracted around 70 letters of objection.

Council planners had also recommended refusal of the proposal for a one to two-storey building with three two-bedroom flats above citing concerns about the impact on nearby shopping centres.

Fears also included the impact on traffic, especially on a nearby roundabout which was described as "an accident blackspot".

The revised application does not now include the residential element.

A design brief accompanying the application says: "Following the concerns raised in the report, amendments to the building size and setting have all been achieved to produce a scheme more palatable within its context.

"Removing the residential units above the store reduces the visual impact on the surrounding area and views from North Drive/Luton Road, and the proposed building line is now set back further within the site boundary. "